A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea

Masaji Ishikawa’s life story unfolds against the backdrop of several tumultuous periods in Korean history, highlighting the legacy of Japanese colonialism and the struggles that ensued following the division of the Korean peninsula. From 1910 to 1945, Japan’s colonization of Korea subjected its citizens to forced labor, cultural suppression, and brutal rule. During this period, many Koreans immigrated to Japan or, like Ishikawa’s father, were actively recruited to address labor shortages, facing harsh working conditions upon their arrival.

Japan’s defeat in World War II prompted many Koreans to repatriate, but a significant number remained in Japan as the Korean War (1950–1953) split their homeland into two ideologically opposed states. The end of the American post-war occupation in Japan (1952) led to the legal reclassification of Koreans as foreigners, stripping even Japan-born Koreans of their national status. Known as “Zainichi” (the Japanese term for “residing in Japan”), Koreans who stayed endured a mix of economic hardship and social exclusion, being left in a legal limbo that barred them from employment and social mobility.

In 1955, the General Association of Korean Residents, or Chongryon, was established to provide a sense of community and belonging. Funded by North Korea, Chongryon built schools that gradually incorporated the government’s ideology.